BULAWAYO – Former MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe declared herself a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) on Saturday after attending a meeting addressed by party leader Nelson Chamisa.
Khupe sat in the crowd at Mc Donalds Hall in Makokoba.
She wrote on Twitter: “Today, I attended my first meeting as a CCC member addressed by President Chamisa in Bulawayo.”
Her spokesman Ntando Ndlovu said: “She is of the view that to defeat an authoritarian government like Zanu PF, the opposition political parties must unite and form a formidable force against Zanu PF.
“As it currently stands, the only capable alternative to Zanu PF is the CCC party and, therefore, she believes that opposition political players must coalesce under CCC and rally behind Chamisa.
Alliances have caused problems before. People must join as opposed to forming alliances.”1
The CCC was launched in January, ironically after Khupe – as leader of the MDC-T – became the biggest beneficiary of a 2019 court order which was used to strip Chamisa’s MDC Alliance of its properties, state funding and elected MPs and councillors.
Khupe lost the MDC-T leadership to Douglas Mwonzora in 2020, leading to a long sulk that ended in her expulsion from the party last month.
Many of Chamisa’s supporters have voiced concern over Khupe’s overtures, fearing she could be the source of divisions in the new party.
Chamisa, however, has held several meetings with Khupe and is convinced that the former trade unionist will add value to the party, although she is unlikely to be trusted with a leadership position before general elections next year.
